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I think love is one of those abstract concepts that nobody can really pin down, but everyone has some sort of idea about what it ought to be. Personally, my definition of it is always changing.

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When I was younger, I used to have really concrete ideas about what love had to be. A lot of it was based on the Disney-ish idea of "true love" and "happily ever after". I believed in dramatic ideas of love - that to love someone was to be willing to sacrifice (anything, even your life) for them, to fight for them against all odds, to make them your very first priority, to choose them above all else. And I also believed that true love, when it came, would last forever.

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Then I fell in love. And I did, and felt, all these things that I believed love was about (except the sacrifice-your-life thing, I guess, although I did believe at that time that I would be willing to die for him). Of course, it didn't work out. After that, I stopped believing in those dramatic ideas about love. In fact, I went through a period where I became intensely suspicious of the idea of romantic love. Like - is love supposed to be unconditional? If I require the other party to reciprocate, if I expect certain things from them, does that mean it's not 'real love'? People talk about love being all about giving without expecting anything in return. But I think there are different types of love, and different ways in which people show their love. So who is to say what types of love and methods of showing love aren't 'real'? And just because you eventually got over someone, doesn't mean you never loved them...

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Nowadays, I think that love doesn't have to be dramatic at all. I guess, for me right now, love is all about the little things. Like when you wish someone was by your side, not because you need them there, but because you want to share the moment with them. Or when something insignificant happens to you and they're the first person you think of telling. Or when you take the time out in your day, no matter how busy you are, to ask about theirs, simply because you want to know how they're doing. Or when you hear something funny, and turn to smile at them to share the joke, only to see them already smiling at you. Or when you're in the middle of a fight, but you hear them sneeze and start worrying that they're coming down with a cold even though you're still angry at them.

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That's it, basically. I don't think love has anything to do with being hit by some great, sacred spiritual feeling, or the idea that you can't live without the other person... I think love is more of being able to acknowledge that you can and will be able to live without them, but still wanting to be with them anyway.

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Yay, fellow HM fan! I love the HM series haha, I think they were what got me into video games in the first place. I've played all that I could lay my hands on, but I think the one I played most was Friends of Mineral Town (GBA). I ship Gray and Mary so much, hehe ;) for the newest one on the 3DS (the one where they renamed the entire series to Story of Seasons), I love love love Rega... The restaurant guy (sorry, I played it in Japanese so I don't know the English names). And Cam (from Tale of Two Towns)! I have a couple of favourite bachelors from each game haha, but that would probably take too long to list.

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What about you? Have you played the latest one yet? I love the graphics so much! (I don't count Natsume's Lost Valley as part of the HM series though, just the original Bokujou Monogatari ones made by Marvelous. I hate what Natsume did by making their own spinoff based on the series name but maybe that's a topic for another time, haha.) oh yeah, and do you like Rune Factory? It's a fantasy spinoff based on HM and super lovely :) I'm a huge fan of that series too.

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Sorry for talking so much haha, as you can see I'm a huge HM fan ;)

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All right, I found a few more just for you ;)

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'The Champagne Gang' by punkturnedwriter
'Quandaries of a Quirky Romantic' by Secretive
'Free Love' by Random Acts of Authorship
'Creatures of the Night: The Miami WereBat' by Tessandra
'Fate and Laundry Soap' by invisible.writer
'Kiss Me, Kate' by Mad for Figs
'Sebastian Bear Invisible Pervert' by hi-tanner85
'Happy Endings' by jennycraig10 (and also 'Best Friends')
'Opposite Ends of The Spectrum' by She Had Somewhere To Go
'The Rules of Engagement' by judevanderhall
'Close Encounters, Inc' by fazzingaway
'Walking Through Life' by Mailai (and all her other one-shots, actually)
'Marina Guerrero and the Terrible, Horrible Date' by DevonnyAuriel
'Between Tequilas, Texts and Tylenol' by Aarushi
'Hiring a Hooligan' by Deena
'Snuck up on Me' and 'Bookstore' by Imaginary Parachute
'Luka & Shoe' by King Patch (this is actually still incomplete but I love it)
'Beating the Game' by Lord Iron-Balls (another incomplete but awesome one...)

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Since the last time I was an active reader on FP was over 10 years ago, most of my long-time favourite writers (Myrika, Tijan, Cupid's Psyche, Hate to Hope, Bleeding Air, Call me when you're rich, Em Wolf, Talyn Gray, pen-ink, star123, to name a few) have removed their stories from FP (some of them have gotten published, so check them out!). But luckily, some of my absolute favourites are still up. :) Here's a list:

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Lani Lenore: writes the most amazing twisted fairytales. Definitely check all of them out! :)
Danielle Night: I love every single one of her stories. They're all set in the Victorian era, and so so good. My favourite out of all of them is 'Petals'.
'Catharsis' by Hotkitty
Lulai: all of them!
Polished Gem: I love, love, love 'Web of Lies'. 'Pierced' and 'Pierced 2' are great too.
Vena Cava's one-shots! Especially 'Chasing Mr Darcy'.
Spicydreams62's stories! Especially 'That Little Twist' and 'I Won't Come Back'.
I haven't read all of xoxluurve's stories, but I do love the ones that I have: 'Brown Eyes' and 'Baby, I'm Not Finished'.
'Memories Worth Protecting' by Shampoo Suicide
'Vertigo' by Carmel March
'The Mating' by charliej
'Breathing Life into a Statue' by eleine kruez
'The Broken Road' by MandyHubbard
'The Latest Attraction' by VelvetWriter... And all the other related stories.
'Pwned' by its.Nothing.Special
'Sly Dog' by Lainiee
Definitely check out justmaybe's stuff too. I've been sort-of lurking on her stories when I have the time... shh. ;)

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Ugh, I'm sure there are more, but these are the ones I remember off the top of my head. And I'm sure there are a lot of newer writers on FP that I haven't read. But this list is a good starting point, I guess! Check out the writers' fav stories/authors lists and you'll probably be able to find a lot of other great stories. Happy reading! :)

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Where are you moving to (and from)? :) that's such an adventure, I'm envious! Moving is so exciting, although it can also be a little saddening, if you're moving really far away and can't go home often... Oh, I hate the bureaucracy that comes with moving countries the most! Having to deal with the embassy/city hall to sort out your identity, and not to mention other mundane things like setting up of bank accounts, shipping things, figuring out a place to stay, getting settled into a new school/getting a job, etc... Also, the little things people take for granted like the way the public transport works, the way buying things works, the way dining etiquette works (my tip for all of that: when in Rome, observe the Romans and then imitate them and look as confident as possible while doing it :P)... I feel it's not just shifting locations but also shifting lives... Shifting into an entirely new person, you know? Because you're never the same once you've lived somewhere else.

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For me, though, the most surprising thing was the culture shock; at first everything was new and fun and an adventure, but after a couple months the culture shock crisis hit. That's always a dark, dark time, haha. It's always the tiniest things that get to me - the way people write things differently, or the differences in hand gestures, or... Well, anything, really. All the small differences pile up sometimes. And it's usually made harder by timezone differences - it's so hard to maintain old relationships from a continent away. I've lost touch with a lot of friends that way - either they moved or I moved and we forgot to stay in contact and then one day it's too hard to message them again. But well, the positives always outweigh the negatives in the end, I think. You know, this reminds me. I need to start thinking about my post-graduation plans, too... Honestly, kudos to you for getting over the inertia to start! All the best to you and your new life! :)

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P. S. Let me know how it goes, if you have the time for it! :P I love hearing about people's stories about moving and adapting to live in different places. And sorry for the super long reply, this is a topic I could probably write another 40k words about, heh...

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To be honest a part of me is in all my protagonists :P but yes, Emilie is almost practically me (right down to the fear of heights and the allergy to alcohol). You know, I'm really curious now. Where do you live? Message me somewhere! I want to talk to you :P

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Well, I know there's a difference between being biracial or an immigrant or a third culture kid, but wouldn't you agree we all have something in common? There is always that lack of sense of belonging - the idea that you're part of a culture but not really... You're a part of this country but not really, because you don't *look* so-and-so, or your 'expression' is different (??? This is a legit thing I've gotten in Asia, multiple times). You feel like an outsider in Europe, but also in Asia. You take flake on behalf of the Germans in Asia, and then on behalf of the Chinese/Asians in general in Europe. Don't all of us cultural hybrids feel a sense of displacement to some extent? Could I only be considered somewhat of a real German if I'm biracial? Would my experiences of feeling torn between two opposing cultures be any less valid if I were *just* an immigrant? :P (haha okay, I'm aware I went on a tangent there by myself. I'm overly sensitive to the insinuation that Germany isn't a part of my entire blood and soul. But yeah, I know the joy of finding someone else with the same mixed heritage... Unfortunately, as much as I hang out with Eurasians, as much as we follow some German traditions at home mixed in with Asian ones, genetically I am not biracial... And let's be honest, I have more familial ties to the Swiss-Germans than to the actual Germans. Well, I can hear you groan already XD I would still love to talk to you, though! Emilie is definitely completely my inner me, and if you identified with her... :P)

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